Nigeria’s telecommunications industry may soon have a standardised system for measuring some of its biggest environmental, infrastructure and social challenges, including diesel dependence, fibre cuts, vandalism and local content.
The Telecoms and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG) has proposed a National Telecom Sustainability Index (NTSI) to measure sustainability performance across the telecommunications sector.
The proposal was presented during a stakeholder strategy meeting in Abuja, where industry players reviewed a draft sustainability strategy covering 2027 to 2032. However, the framework has not yet been adopted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). (Businessday NG)
Chris Uwaje, a board member of the TTSWG, said the proposed framework is designed to reflect Nigeria’s specific telecommunications environment while aligning with international sustainability reporting standards.
Five Areas to Be Measured
The proposed index would assess telecom operators across five key areas: environment and energy; digital inclusion and affordability; digital integrity, privacy and consumer trust; infrastructure resilience and governance; and supply chain and local value creation.
Under environment and energy, the index would track issues such as energy sources, diesel consumption, emissions and electronic waste management.
Digital inclusion would focus on coverage, network penetration, affordability and access, while the digital integrity category would cover data protection, fraud, consumer complaints and service quality.
The infrastructure resilience pillar would measure issues including fibre cuts, vandalism, theft, network restoration, right-of-way compliance and IPv6 readiness.
The final pillar would examine the industry’s contribution to the Nigerian economy through areas such as local content, local-currency financing, decent work and job creation. (Punch Newspapers)
Index Could Support Investor Confidence
Uwaje said consistent sustainability measurements could help strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure.
“An investor relies on a market that builds confidence and has the metrics to measure,” he said.
The proposed system comes as sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations become increasingly relevant to international financing.
Bankole Oloruntoba, chief executive officer of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, said stronger sustainability reporting could help Nigerian companies meet requirements attached to some international funding arrangements.
“Some of the global financing structures have requirements that many organisations may not yet meet here in Nigeria,” he said.
NCC Yet to Adopt Framework
Although several areas covered by the proposed index already align with existing NCC initiatives, the regulator has not formally adopted the framework.
Helen Obi, director of the Digital Economy Department at the NCC, said the Commission is awaiting formal documentation before reviewing the proposal.
“We would still request or require that the documentation be sent to us formally, so that we could review in detail and then give feedback as a Commission,” Obi said. (Businessday NG)
She noted that areas such as connectivity, digital inclusion, local device manufacturing, digital skills and support for underserved communities are already part of the Commission’s work.
Three-Year Implementation Plan
The proposed framework would be introduced gradually over three years.
The first phase would involve testing key indicators with major mobile network operators and leading tower companies, refining reporting templates and establishing an IPv6 baseline.
The second year would introduce a core reporting system for qualifying licensees and expand reporting requirements for major operators.
By the third year, the proposal envisages the publication of an annual Nigerian telecom sector sustainability report, an expanded index and independent verification of reported data.
Abdu-Waya Mohammed, chairman of the TTSWG board, said the strategy would focus on areas including renewable energy, digital inclusion, governance, innovation and industry-specific sustainability measures.
He stressed that the document remained a draft and that stakeholder feedback would influence its final form.
“This is a stakeholder engagement. Whatever we are presenting today is a draft from the Secretariat, and we expect feedback from participants to further sharpen the way forward for the implementation of the strategy that we are proposing,” he said. (Punch Newspapers)
The proposed index is expected to combine weighted scores from its five pillars to produce an overall sustainability assessment. However, its final structure and implementation will depend on further stakeholder review and the NCC’s consideration of the proposal.
